Cradle to Prison Pipeline
by Danny Mazur, AmeriCorps Fellow, Buckeye Middle School

At Buckeye Middle, Miss Reed’s 6th grade English class had been learning about the "Cradle to Prison Pipeline." This phenomenon relates to kids who grow up with risk factors that may lead them to prison. 

Miss Makiah, a local high school student, came to Miss Reed's class to share her experience as a daughter of a prison inmate. Early in her life, her Dad was sent to jail, leaving her and her mom by themselves. She spoke of the difficulties and the pain that it caused her. Makiah had loved her Dad so dearly and he was "stolen" from her. 

Her trauma caused her to internalize her pain and withdraw from her mother. She discussed how she became angry at life leading her to start cutting herself. As she continued, Makiah expressed that she felt so much animosity towards her father that she did not want to try in school. Until her sophomore year in high school she had been failing. It was during this year that she learned to deal with her pain and to let go of her anger towards her father. She took a stand and turned her life around. Makiah decided that she was not going to let her traumatic past determine her future. Now she is an A student who is working towards college. 

The speech she gave was so emotional and heartfelt that it formed a strong connection with the students. Students were so eager to communicate their own experiences with absent parents and parents in jail. There were more than enough stories similar to Makiah’s in the room. It was in this moment that students were really able to connect their education with a real life story. To thank her, students wrote letters sharing their own experiences. The letters were filled with stories that could make the strongest person cry. It truly was an emotional day at Buckeye Middle.

Also, before she left, Miss Makiah left a wish list of ideas that could help people deal with similar experiences that she gone through. Out of all of the ideas, Miss Reed and the students decided that coping classes should be brought to Buckeye. Now, for students who are going through issues outside of school, there are classes held at lunch that help kids cope with adversity. 

"It was in this moment that students were really able to connect their education with a real life story."
                           -- Danny Mazur, AmeriCorps Fellow